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According to
Dr. William Korinek, CEO of Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals, a so-called “concussion
pill” is targeted for a 2025 release into the world. This pill would, in
theory, allow for one’s brain to self-heal and repair long-term brain damage,
such as damage sustained through football concussions. While Dr. Kun Ping Lu
predicts a release date closer to 2027, the fact that it is on the way at all
can provide a light on the horizon for those struggling to find any release
from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Currently, the
research on this new medicine is still in the “mouse model” phase, but the
testers have already made drastic strides toward success. For example, Dr.
Korinek began treating mice within a half-hour of suffering a concussion and
found that they did not develop the same anti-social symptoms later in life
that untreated mice began exemplifying. Meanwhile, Dr. Lu and researchers at
Harvard created a slightly different treatment which stopped concussed mice
from running carelessly beneath the potential path of a potential predator.

Notably,
neither of these findings simply masked the symptoms – they actually helped the
brains self-heal. In the near future, Dr. Korinek plans to expand his
experiments to larger mammals, while Dr. Lu expects to synthesize a human
version of his protein that is suitable for human pilot studies.

At the same
time, last October, the University of Miami was provided with a $16 million
grant to research whether cannabidiol (CBD) mixed with an anesthetic can be
used as an effective treatment for concussions. This study is only expected to
last five years, and the testing is still in the “mouse model” phase just like
Dr. Korinek’s and Dr. Lu’s studies.

In the more
immediate future, the Miami researchers have had success in creating virtual
reality goggles that monitor eye movement to diagnose the severity of a
potential concussion and provide feedback during treatment and recovery. While
this is insufficient to actually cure brain trauma, this new tool has a
95 percent diagnostic rate and, as mentioned by Miami researcher Dr.
Michael Hoffer, “[t]he pill can’t be effective for concussions if you can’t
diagnose one.”

While it may be
unlikely for all of these different “concussion pills” to result in
breakthroughs, CTE sufferers can take some solace in the fact that several
researchers are making progress on many different potential cures – this can
only increase the chance of success in the not-so distant future.

The views expressed in this document are solely the views of the author and not Martindale-Hubbell. This document is intended for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for consultation with a licensed legal professional in a particular case or circumstance.

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